System for drawing solid feed into and/or out of a solid feed pump

ABSTRACT

A system includes a solid feed pump. The solid feed pump includes a housing, a rotor disposed in the housing, a curved passage disposed between the rotor and the housing, a solid feed inlet coupled to the curved passage, a solid feed outlet coupled to the curved passage, and a rotatable sleeve configured to rotate to actively draw solid feed into the solid feed inlet or out of the solid feed outlet.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/431,903, entitled “SYSTEM FOR DRAWING SOLID FEED INTO AND/OR OUT OF ASOLID FEED PUMP,” filed Mar. 27, 2012, which is herein incorporated byreference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The subject matter disclosed herein relates to a solid feed pump, andmore specifically, to a system for drawing solid feed into and/or out ofa solid feed pump.

A solid feed pump is used in a variety of industries to transportsolids, such as particulate matter. In general, the solid feed pumptransports solids along a moving path (e.g., a rotating part) from aninlet to an outlet. The performance of the solid feed pump is at leastpartially dependent on the intake efficiency of the solids flowingthrough the inlet to the rotating part of the solid feed pump.Unfortunately, any variable intake of solids and/or voids in the solidsmay cause an unsteady flow rate and/or unsteady pressure of the solidsbeing pumped by the solid feed pump.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Certain embodiments commensurate in scope with the originally claimedinvention are summarized below. These embodiments are not intended tolimit the scope of the claimed invention, but rather these embodimentsare intended only to provide a brief summary of possible forms of theinvention. Indeed, the invention may encompass a variety of forms thatmay be similar to or different from the embodiments set forth below.

In accordance with a first embodiment, a system includes a solid feedpump. The solid feed pump includes a housing, a rotor disposed in thehousing, a curved passage disposed between the rotor and the housing, asolid feed inlet coupled to the curved passage, a solid feed outletcoupled to the curved passage, and a rotatable sleeve configured torotate to actively draw solid feed into the solid feed inlet or out ofthe solid feed outlet.

In accordance with a second embodiment, a system includes a rotatablesleeve configured to couple to a solid feed inlet or a solid feed outletof a solid feed pump and to rotate to actively draw solid feed into thesolid feed inlet or out of the solid feed outlet, wherein the rotatablesleeve comprises a hollow cylinder, an inner surface, and at least onespiral ridge that extends away from the inner surface into the a flow ofthe solid feed.

In accordance with a third embodiment, a system includes a solid feedpump. The solid feed pump includes a housing, a rotor disposed in thehousing, a solid feed passage disposed between the rotor and thehousing, a solid feed inlet coupled to the solid feed passage, and asolid feed outlet coupled to the solid feed passage. The solid feed pumpalso includes a rotatable sleeve disposed within the solid feed inlet,wherein the rotatable sleeve is configured to rotate to actively drawsolid feed into the solid feed inlet. The solid feed pump furtherincludes a vibrator spool piece coupled to an upstream end of the solidfeed inlet, wherein the vibrator spool piece includes a vibratorcentrally located within the vibrator spool piece. The vibrator extendsinto an opening of the rotatable sleeve in a direction of the solid feedflow, and the vibrator is configured to actively conduct solid feed intothe solid feed inlet.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the presentinvention will become better understood when the following detaileddescription is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in whichlike characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a solidfeed pump having a rotatable sleeve disposed within a solid feed inlet;

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a solidfeed pump having rotatable sleeves disposed within both a solid feedinlet and a solid feed outlet;

FIG. 3 is a schematic bottom view of the rotatable sleeve of FIGS. 1 and2;

FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of the rotatable sleeve of FIGS. 1 and2; and

FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a solidfeed pump having a rotatable sleeve and a vibrator disposed within asolid feed inlet.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

One or more specific embodiments of the present invention will bedescribed below. In an effort to provide a concise description of theseembodiments, all features of an actual implementation may not bedescribed in the specification. It should be appreciated that in thedevelopment of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering ordesign project, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be madeto achieve the developers' specific goals, such as compliance withsystem-related and business-related constraints, which may vary from oneimplementation to another. Moreover, it should be appreciated that sucha development effort might be complex and time consuming, but wouldnevertheless be a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, andmanufacture for those of ordinary skill having the benefit of thisdisclosure.

When introducing elements of various embodiments of the presentinvention, the articles “a,” “an,” “the,” and “said” are intended tomean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms “comprising,”“including,” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean thatthere may be additional elements other than the listed elements.

The disclosed embodiments include systems for maintaining a desiredpressure level and flow rate of solids into and/or out of a solid feedpump. In particular, the solid feed pump includes a rotatable sleeveconfigured to rotate to actively draw solid feed into a solid feed inletor out of a solid feed outlet of the pump. The rotatable sleeve may bedisposed within the solid feed inlet and/or the solid feed outlet. Therotatable sleeve is a hollow cylinder with at least one ridge thatextends away from an inner surface into a flow of the solids. The atleast one ridge may spiral along the inner surface of the rotatablesleeve. In certain embodiments, the rotatable sleeve includes multipleridges. The design of the ridges is dependent on the type of solidsprocessed by the solid feed pump. The ridges may vary in length, width,height, and/or angle or pitch. Alternatively, the ridges may include thesame length, width, height, and/or angle or pitch. The inner surface ofthe rotatable sleeve disposed in the solid feed inlet may converge in adirection of flow of the solids into the solid feed inlet, while theinner surface of the rotatable sleeve disposed in the solid feed outletmay diverge in a direction of flow of the solids out of the solid feedoutlet. An outer surface of the rotatable sleeve may include gear teeth(e.g., sleeve gear teeth) and the solid feed pump may include anactuating mechanism (e.g., drive shaft with worm gear teeth, drivemotor, etc.) to rotate the rotatable sleeve via the gear teeth. Incertain embodiments, the actuating mechanism may include a sensor todetermine an amount of torque suitable to rotate the rotatable sleeve aswell as a controller to adjust a speed of rotation of the rotatablesleeve based on input from the sensor. In other embodiments, theactuating mechanism and controller may be capable of temporarilyreversing the direction of rotation of the sleeve for a period of timesufficient to eliminate a jam or plug which may have developed in thepump inlet. In still other embodiments, the pump housing may incorporatea sensor that is capable of detecting voids within the solid feed in thepump inlet, and the actuating mechanism and controller may be configuredto increase the speed of rotation of the sleeve in order to eliminatethe voids. In further embodiments, the solid feed pump includes avibrator spool piece coupled to an upstream end of the pump inlet,wherein the vibrator spool piece includes a vibrator centrally locatedwithin the spool piece that extends into the rotatable sleeve and solidfeed inlet to actively conduct solid feed into the solid feed inlet. Theability to control the drawing of solids into and/or out of the solidfeed pump with the rotatable sleeve (and vibrator) ensures a reliable,steady flow rate of pressurized solids through the pump for efficientpump operation, while reducing the complexity and costs of the feedsystem. This reduction in feed system complexity and cost comes from theelimination of downstream equipment that normally would be required tosmooth out the varying solids flow rate that may be produced by a solidspump that does not have the features described in this presentinvention. In particular, the ridges of the rotatable sleeve and thevibrator help breakup solids, fill in voids, and ensure a constant flowof solids in and/or out of the solid feed pump.

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a solidfeed pump 10 (e.g., solid fuel pump) having a rotatable sleeve 12 thatrotates to actively draw solid feed or solid feedstock into an inlet(e.g., solid feed inlet) or inlet connection 14 of the pump 10. Therotatable sleeve 12 rotates in a circumferential direction 13 about anaxis 15 of the sleeve 12. As illustrated, the rotatable sleeve 12 isdisposed in the inlet 14 of the pump 10. In certain embodiments, therotatable sleeve 12 may be disposed in an outlet (e.g., solid feedoutlet) or outlet connection 16 of the pump 10. In some embodiments,both the inlet 14 and the outlet 16 may include rotatable sleeves 12.The rotatable sleeve 12 may be a hollow cylinder that includes an innersurface 18, an outer surface 20, a first opening 22 for receiving solidfeed (e.g., from a solid feed bin), and a second opening 24 fordischarging solid feed in a solid feed passage 26 (e.g., curved passage)of the solid feed pump 10. In certain embodiments, the inner surface 18converges (e.g., gradually decreasing diameter 28) in a direction ofsolid feed flow from the first opening 22 to the second opening 24(e.g., sleeve 12 disposed in the inlet 14, see FIG. 2). In otherembodiments, the inner surface 18 diverges (e.g., gradually increasingdiameter 86) in the direction of solid feed flow (e.g., sleeve 12disposed in the outlet 16, see FIG. 2). In certain embodiments, thediameter 28 could decrease or the diameter 86 (see FIG. 2) couldincrease in a linear manner (e.g., straight conical surface) ornonlinear manner (e.g., curved conical surface). As illustrated, therotatable sleeve 12 includes a constant diameter (e.g., inner diameter28) along a length 30 of the sleeve 12. It should be noted that FIG. 1is a simplified diagram of the pump 10 and sleeve 12 and that somemechanical details may be omitted for clarity. For example, the sleeve12 may include rotating bearings near both ends of the sleeve 12 (e.g.,near openings 22 and 24) to provide rotational support to the sleeve 12.Additionally, the sleeve 12 may also include rotating seals to blockprocess materials from leaking into the narrow annular gap between thesleeve 12 and its installation well in the inlet 14 of the pump 10.

Additionally, as described in greater detail below, the solid feed pump10 may include a vibrator spool piece coupled to an upstream end of thepump inlet 14 (see FIG. 5). The vibrator spool piece includes a vibratorcentrally located within the vibrator spool piece. The vibrator extendsinto the rotatable sleeve 12 and the inlet 14 and vibrates to activelyconduct solid feed into the inlet 14.

The inner surface 18 of the sleeve 12 includes one or more raised ridges32 that extend away from the inner surface 18 (i.e., radially inwardtoward axis 15) into a flow of the solid feedstock. As illustrated, therotatable sleeve 12 includes a plurality of raised ridges 32. The numberof ridges 32 on the inner surface 18 may range from 1 to 200, 1 to 50, 1to 10, 50 to 100, 100 to 150, 150 to 200, and all subrangestherebetween. For example, the number of ridges 32 may be 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 100, 150, 200, or any other number. Asillustrated, each ridge 32 at least partially spirals about the axis 15and/or extends angularly along the length 30 of the inner surface 18 ofthe sleeve 12. Additionally, each ridge 32 includes a height 34 (seeFIG. 3), a width 36, a length 38, and a pitch or angle 40 of its spiralrelative to the axis 15 of the sleeve 12. The length 38 of the ridge 32may extend along the entire length 30 of the sleeve 12 (as illustrated)or only a portion of the length 30 of the sleeve 12 (see FIG. 2). Incertain embodiments, the length 38 of the ridge 32 may extend fromapproximately 1 to 100 percent, 1 to 50 percent, 50 to 100 percent, 25to 50 percent, 50 to 75 percent, and all subranges therebetween, of thelength 30 of the sleeve 12. For example, the length 38 of the ridge 32may extend approximately 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, or 100percent, or any other percent of the length 30 of the sleeve 12. Theridges 32 may be straight or curved. In addition, the ridges 32 may becontinuous or segmented along length 30. The angle or pitch 40 of theridge 32 relative to the axis 15 of the sleeve 12 may range fromapproximately 0 to 89 degrees, 0 to 45 degrees, 15 to 30 degrees, 45 to89 degrees, and all subranges therebetween. For example, the angle orpitch 40 of the ridge 32 may be approximately 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60,70, 80, or 89 degrees, or any other angle or pitch. As illustrated, eachridge 32 of the plurality of ridges 32 has the same height 34, width 36,length 38, and angle or pitch 40 relative to one another. In certainembodiments, at least one ridge 32 may vary from another ridge 32 of theplurality of ridges 32 with respect to height 34, width 36, length 38,and/or angle or pitch 40 (see FIG. 2). In some embodiments, the height34 width 36, and angle or pitch 40 may be constant or variable alongeach ridge 32. All of these parameters of ridges 32 may impact feedrate, pressure, and/or other parameters.

The raised ridges 32 may be manufactured on the inner surface 18 of therotatable sleeve 12 via a variety of manufacturing techniques known. Forexample, one such technique includes direct metal laser sintering.Direct metal sintering enables the manufacturing of complex designs onthe inner surface 18 of the rotatable sleeve 12. The ridges may beintegral (i.e., one-piece) or separate/removable relative to the sleeve12. Additionally, in certain embodiments, the rotatable sleeve 12 may beremovable from the inlet 14 and/or outlet 16 of the solid feed pump 10.For example, the rotatable sleeve 12 may include an internal flangecoupling the sleeve 12 to the inlet 14 and/or outlet 16 that alsoenables the removal of the sleeve 12. Thus, various sleeves 12 withdifferent designs on the inner surface 18 optimized for differentmaterials or different classes of materials of solid feed mayinterchanged within the inlet 14 and/or outlet 16 in response to changesin the feed material.

A portion of the outer surface 20 of the sleeve 12 includes gear teeth42 (e.g., sleeve gear teeth) distributed in the circumferentialdirection 13 around (e.g., 360 degrees around) the outer surface 20. Thegear teeth 42 extend radially outward from the outer surface 20 relativeto the axis 15. As described in greater detail below, an actuatingmechanism 44 engages the gear teeth 42 to rotate the sleeve 12. Theactuating mechanism 44 includes a drive shaft 46, a motor 48 that drivesthe drive shaft 46, a sensor 50, and a controller 52. In certainembodiments, the well in the pump housing 54 in which the sleeve 12 sitsmay include a sensor 51 to detect the rotational speed of the sleeve 12.In other embodiments, the well in the pump housing 54 may include asensor to detect the direction of rotation of the sleeve 12. The driveshaft 46 may include a worm gear drive shaft that includes worm gearteeth that engage the gear teeth 42 of the sleeve 12. As illustrated,both the gear teeth 42 of the sleeve 12 and the drive shaft 46 arelocated near opening 24 (e.g., outlet end) of the sleeve 12 to enableadequate support within a housing 54 of the pump 10 for the drive shaft46. As described in greater detail below, a length of the drive shaft 46extends transversely (i.e., crosswise) to the length 30 of the sleeve 12about the axis 15. Rotation of the shaft 46 via the motor 48 drivesrotation of the sleeve 12. The motor 48 may include the sensor 50. Thesensor 50 determines the amount of torque required to rotate the sleeve12. In certain embodiments, sensors 51 (e.g., disposed in the pumphousing 54 near the sleeve 12) may determine the rotational speed or thedirection of rotation of the sleeve 12. In certain embodiments, sensors51 (e.g., disposed in the pump housing 54 near the sleeve 12) maydetermine if a jam has occurred in the solid feed inlet 12. In certainother embodiments, sensors 51 (e.g. disposed in the pump housing 54 nearthe inlet of the solid feed passage 26) may detect the presence of voidswithin the solid feed entering the pump. The motor 48 may also includethe controller 52. The controller 52 receives input (e.g., the amount oftorque suitable to rotate the sleeve 12) from sensors 50, 51 and adjuststhe speed of rotation of the sleeve 12 via the motor 48 based on theinput. For example, if too much torque is sensed by the sensor 50, thesleeve 12 may be rotating too fast, which could cause the solids to jamin the inlet 14. In response to a sensor input of too much torque, thecontroller 52 slows down the speed of the rotation of the sleeve 12 viathe motor 48. Conversely, too little torque may be sensed by the sensor50, and the controller 52 may speed up the rotation of the sleeve 12 viathe motor 48. Thus, the controller 52 in response to input from thesensor 50 may minimize or eliminate any mismatch between the rotationalspeed of the pump 10 that carries solid feed forward against a pressuregradient and the linear speed of incoming solid feed caused by therotation of the sleeve 12. In some embodiments, a jam may be detected inthe solid feed inlet 14 and the controller 52 temporality reverses thedirection of rotation of the sleeve 12 via the motor 48. In certainembodiments, with one or more sensors in the sleeve 12, the rotationalspeed of the sleeve 12 may be detected and used as input to thecontroller 52 to adjust the torque of the motor 48. In otherembodiments, with a void sensor 51 incorporated into the pump housing 54near the solid feed passage inlet 26, the presence of voids may bedetected, and the rotational speed of the sleeve 12 may be increased inorder to eliminate the voids in the solid feed and to ensure that thepump inlet 14 is reliably supplied with void-free solid feed.

As to the solid feed pump 10, the pump 10 may be a Posimetric Feedermade by General Electric Company of Schenectady, New York. The term“Posimetric” is a trademark of General Electric Company and/or itsaffiliates, and it refers to the ability of the pump 10 to positivelydisplace (e.g. force displacement of) solids against a pressure gradientat the same time that it accurately meters (e.g. measure an amount of)and controls the flow rate of the solids. The pump 10 is able to meterand positively displace a defined volume of a substance, such as a solidfuel feedstock (e.g., a carbonaceous feedstock). In particular, thesolid feed pump 10 is configured to transport a solid feedstock. Thepump path may have a circular, or curved, shape. The pump 10 may be usedin any suitable application such as an integrated gasification combinedcycle (IGCC) system, a gasification system, a solid fuel transportsystem, or any combination thereof Other suitable applications includeproduction of chemicals, fertilizers, substitute natural gas,transportation fuels, or hydrogen. The pump 10 may deliver solid fuel toa gasifier, boiler, combustor, and/or reactor. In fact, the pump 10 maybe used in any application in which solids must be transported against apressure gradient.

As shown in FIG. 1, the solid feed pump 10 includes a housing 54, inlet14 (e.g., solid feed inlet), outlet 16 (e.g., solid feed outlet), androtor 17. In certain embodiments, locations of the inlet 14 and theoutlet 16 of the pump 10 may vary. The rotor 17 may include twosubstantially opposed and parallel rotary discs, not shown, coupled to ahub 19. The rotary discs are not shown as they are both out of the planeof the figure, one being above the plane of the figure and the otherbeing below the plane of the figure. The two rotary discs and the hub19, which may be connected together via suitable fasteners or which maybe machined from a single piece of material, may be movable relative tothe housing 54 in a rotational direction 56 from the inlet 14 towardsthe outlet 16 about a rotational axis 58. The inlet 14 and the outlet 16may be coupled to the solid feed passage 26, which is a curved,circular, or annular passage formed by the inner, parallel surfaces ofthe two discs, the outer, convex surface of the hub 19 and the inner,concave surface 57 of the pump housing 54. In certain embodiments, thepump 10 includes more than one passage 26 (e.g., 2-10 passages), withthe plurality of passages 26 being disposed about the common axis ofrotation 58 and being separated by a plurality of rotating discsconnected to the common hub 19. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the passage 26is disposed between two rotary discs, not shown, and within the housing54. A solid feed guide 60 (e.g., abutment) may be disposed adjacent theoutlet 16. The solid feed guide 60 may extend across the passage 26between the rotary discs. The rotary discs and the solid feed guide 60interact to form sliding interfaces (not shown) as the discs rotate inthe rotational direction 56. The hub 19 of the rotor 17 and the solidfeed guide 60 interact to form a sliding interface 62 as the hub 19rotates in the rotational direction 56. In particular, the hub 19 isconfigured to move along the sliding interface 62 with the solid feedguide 60.

As particulate matter (i.e., solid feed) is fed through an opening 63 ofthe inlet 14, the solid feed pump 10 may impart a tangential force orthrust to the particulate matter (e.g., solid fuel feedstock) in therotational direction 56 of the rotor 18. The particulate matter istransported in direction 64 from the inlet 14 to the outlet 16. Inaddition, the particulate matter moves from low to high pressure beforebeing discharged from the outlet 16 of the pump 10. During transportthrough the pump 10, the particulate matter locks-up in a lock-up region66, increases in pressure, and exits the pump 10 at a generally constantrate. As the particulate matter rotates through the passage 26, theparticulate matter encounters a guide wall 68 of the solid feed guide 60disposed adjacent the outlet 16 extending across the passage 26. Theparticulate matter is diverted by the solid feed guide 60 through anopening 70 of the outlet 16, e.g., into an exit pipe connected to a highpressure vessel or into a conveyance pipe line. The pipe may deliver theparticulate matter (e.g., solid fuel feedstock) to a gasifier, whichthen converts the feedstock into a synthesis gas or syngas.

As solid feed (e.g., provided from a solid feed bin) approaches theinlet 14 of the solid feed pump 10, the actuating mechanism 44 drivesthe rotation of the sleeve 12. The rotation of the sleeve 12 in thecircumferential direction 13 about its axis 15 enables the raised ridges32 to draw the solid feed into the inlet 14 and then the passage 26. Theridges 32 may help to breakup solids, reduce voids, mix up, andgenerally create a more consistent size and distribution of solidsentering inlet 14. Also, the ridges 32 may help drive solids in toensure a desired feed rate coming in to the pump 10. As mentioned above,components of the actuating mechanism 44 (e.g., motor 48, sensor 50, andcontroller 52) may control the rotational speed of the sleeve 12. Theability to control the drawing of solid feed into the solid feed pump 10with the rotatable sleeve 12 ensures a reliable, steady flow rate ofpressurized solids through the pump 10 for efficient pump operation,while reducing the complexity and costs of the feed system byeliminating unneeded downstream flow smoothing equipment.

As mentioned above, in certain embodiments, the solid feed pump 10 mayinclude the rotatable sleeve 12 disposed in the outlet 16. FIG. 2 is aschematic cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the solid feed pump10 (e.g., solid fuel pump) having rotatable sleeves 12 (i.e., rotatablesleeves 72, 74) disposed in both the inlet 14 and outlet 16. It shouldbe noted, embodiments of the solid feed pump 10 may include the sleeve12 in the inlet 14, outlet 16, or both. In general, the solid feed pump10 and the rotatable sleeves 12 are as described in FIG. 1 with a fewexceptions. In particular, the inner surface 18 of the sleeve 72converges in a direction of solid feed flow from the first opening 22 tothe second opening 24. Thus, the inner diameter 28 of the inner surface18 of the sleeve 72 gradually narrows (e.g., in a liner or nonlinearmanner) from the first opening 22 to the second opening 24. The innersurface 18 may form a straight conical surface or curved conicalsurface. In addition, the raised ridges 32 on the inner surface 18 ofthe sleeve 72 vary between each other with respect to height 34, width36, length 38, and/or angle or pitch 40 of its spiral relative to theaxis 15 of the sleeve 12. For example, the width 36 of ridge 76 differsfrom the width 36 of ridge 78, the length 38 of ridge 76 differs fromthe length 38 of both ridges 78 and 80, and the pitch or angle 40 ofridge 78 differs from the pitch or angle 40 of ridge 80. As mentionedabove, the length 38 of the ridge 32 may extend along the entire length30 of the sleeve 12 or only a portion of the length 30 of the sleeve 12(e.g., ridge 76). In certain embodiments, the length 38 of the ridge 32may extend from approximately 1 to 100 percent, 1 to 50 percent, 50 to100 percent, 25 to 50 percent, 50 to 75 percent, and all subrangestherebetween, of the length 30 of the sleeve 12. For example, the length38 of the ridge 32 may extend approximately 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70,80, 90, or 100 percent, or any other percent, of the length 30 of thesleeve 12. The angle or pitch 40 of the ridge 32 relative to the axis 15of the sleeve 12 may range from approximately 0 to 89 degrees, 0 to 45degrees, 15 to 30 degrees, 45 to 89 degrees, and all subrangestherebetween. For example, the angle or pitch 40 of the ridge 32 may beapproximately 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, or 89 degrees, or anyother angle or pitch.

The sleeve 74 disposed in the outlet 16 includes a first opening 81 forreceiving solid feed from the curved passage 26 and a second opening 82for discharging solid feed out of the solid feed pump 10. The rotatablesleeve 74 rotates to actively draw solid feed out of the outlet 16 viathe ridges 32. In contrast to the sleeve 72, an inner surface 84 ofsleeve 74 diverges in a direction of solid feed flow from the firstopening 81 to the second opening 82. In particular, a diameter 86 (i.e.,inner diameter) of the inner surface 84 increases (e.g., in a linear ornonlinear manner) from the first opening 81 to the second opening 82.The inner surface 84 may form a straight conical surface or curvedconical surface. As illustrated, each ridge 32 of the plurality ofridges 32 of sleeve 74 has the same height 34, width 36, length 38, andangle or pitch 40 relative one another. In certain embodiments, at leastone ridge 32 of sleeve 74 may vary from another ridge 32 of theplurality of ridges 32 with respect to height 34, width 36, length 38,and/or angle or pitch 40.

Each sleeve 12 is coupled to its own actuating mechanism 44, 89. Theactuating mechanism 44 for sleeve 72 is as described in FIG. 1. Similarto sleeve 72, sleeve 74 includes a portion of an outer surface 88 thatincludes gear teeth 90 (e.g., sleeve gear teeth) distributed in thecircumferential direction 13 around (e.g., 360 degrees around) the outersurface 88 relative the axis 15. The gear teeth 90 extend radiallyoutward from the outer surface 88. The actuating mechanism 89 engagesthe gear teeth 90 to rotate the sleeve 74. The actuating mechanism 89includes a drive shaft 92, a motor 94 that drives the drive shaft 92, asensor 96, and a controller 98. The components of the actuatingmechanism 89 for sleeve 74 are similar to the components of theactuating mechanism 44 for sleeve 72 as described above in FIG. 1. Asillustrated, each motor 48, 94 includes a single controller 52, 98.However, in certain embodiments, the motors 48, 94 may share a commoncontroller to control the rotational speed of both sleeves 72, 74. Theability to control the drawing of solid feed into the solid feed pump 10via sleeve 72 and/or drawing solid feed out of the solid feed pump 10via sleeve 74 ensures a reliable, steady flow rate of pressurized solidsthrough the pump 10 for efficient pump operation, while reducing thecomplexity and costs of the feed system by eliminating unneededdownstream flow smoothing equipment.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are schematic bottom and side views, respectively, of therotatable sleeve 12 of FIGS. 1 and 2. The rotatable sleeve 12 is asdescribed above. In particular, the sleeve 12 may be a hollow cylinderthat includes the inner surface 18, the outer surface 20, the firstopening 22 for receiving solid feed (e.g., from a solid feed bin), andthe second opening 24 for discharging solid feed into the solid feedpassage 26 (e.g., curved passage) of the solid feed pump 10. Althoughthe following discussion describes the sleeve 12 as disposed in theinlet 14, the following discussion also applies to sleeves 12 disposedin outlets 16 except that opening 22 is for receiving solid feed fromthe passage 26 and opening 24 is for discharging solid feed out of thesolid feed pump 10. In the case of the outlet sleeve, the outer surface20 includes the gear teeth 42 (e.g., sleeve gear teeth) on a portion ofthe sleeve 12 near the opening 22. As illustrated for the case of theinlet sleeve, the gear teeth 42 of the sleeve 12 and the drive shaft 46are located near opening 24 of the sleeve 12 to enable adequate supportwithin the housing 54 of the pump 10 for the drive shaft 46. The gearteeth 42 are distributed in the circumferential direction 13 around(e.g., 360 degrees around) the outer surface 20 and the axis 15 of thesleeve 12. Also, the gear teeth 42 extend radially outward from theouter surface 20 as indicated by arrows 100. The number of gear teeth 42on the outer surface 20 may range from 5 to 200, 10 to 50, 50 to 100,100 to 150, 150 to 200, and all subranges therebetween. For example, thenumber of gear teeth 42 may be 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 100, 150, 200, or anyother number. As described in greater detail below, the actuatingmechanism 44 engages the gear teeth 42 to rotate the sleeve 12.

As mentioned above, the actuating mechanism 44 includes the drive shaft46 and the motor 48 that drives the drive shaft 46. As illustrated, thedrive shaft 46 may include a worm gear drive shaft that includes wormgear teeth 102 that engage the gear teeth 42 of the sleeve 12. Thenumber of worm gear teeth 102 on the drive shaft 46 may range from 2 to100, 5 to 50, 10 to 25, 50 to 100, 75 to 100, and all subrangestherebetween. For example, the number of worm gear teeth 102 may be 10,20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, or 100, or any other number. A length104 of the drive shaft 46 extends transversely (i.e., crosswise) to thelength 30 of the sleeve 12 (see FIGS. 1 and 2). The drive shaft 46includes ends 106 and 108. The end 106 couples to a support bearing 105(e.g., proximal support bearing) and motor drive of the motor 48, whilethe end 108 couples to a support bearing 107 (e.g., distal supportbearing). Rotation of the shaft 46 via the motor 48 drives rotation ofthe sleeve 12 via the interaction of the worm gear teeth 102 and sleevegear teeth 42 to enable the raised ridges 32 to draw solid feed intoand/or out of the solid feed pump 10.

As illustrated, the inner surface 18 of the rotatable sleeve 12 includesthe plurality of ridges 32, all of which have the same geometry.However, in some embodiments, at least one ridge 32 varies from theother ridges 32 with respect to height 34, width 36, length 38, angle orpitch 40. For example, the height 34 of ridge 110 may differ from theheight 34 of ridge 112. The height 34 of each ridge 32 may beapproximately 1 to 50, 2 to 25, or 3 to 10 percent of the diameter 28.Also, as illustrated, the ridges 32 at least partially spiral and/orextend angularly along the length 30 of the rotatable sleeve 12. Theridges 32 may help to breakup solids, reduce voids, mix up, andgenerally create a more consistent size and distribution of solidsentering inlet 14. Also, the ridges 32 may help drive solids into theinlet to ensure a desired feed rate coming into the pump 10. The abilityto control the drawing of solid feed into and/or out of the solid feedpump 10 via rotatable sleeves 12 ensures a reliable, steady flow rate ofpressurized solids through the pump 10 for efficient pump operation,while reducing the complexity and costs of the feed system byeliminating unneeded downstream flow smoothing equipment.

FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the solidfeed pump 10 having the rotatable sleeve 12 and a vibrator 114 (e.g.,pencil-type vibrator) disposed within the solid feed inlet 14. The solidfeed pump 10 and rotatable sleeve 12 are as described above in FIG. 1.In addition, the solid feed pump 10 includes a vibrator spool piece 116coupled to an upstream end 118 of the pump inlet 14. The vibrator spoolpiece 116 includes the vibrator 114 centrally located within thevibrator spool piece 116. The vibrator spool piece 116 supports thevibrator 114 via three supports 120 spaced approximately 120 degreesapart. In certain embodiments, the number of supports 120 may range from1 to 10, 1 to 5, 1 to 3, 3 to 5, and all subranges therebetween. Forexample, the number of supports 120 may be 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or10, or any other number. The vibrator 114 extends into the rotatablesleeve 12 and the inlet 14 and vibrates to actively conduct solid feedinto the inlet 14. In particular, the vibrator 114 extends axially intothe opening 22 of the sleeve 12 in the direction of solid feed flow. Thevibrator 114 may extend into the opening 22 along the entire length 30of the sleeve 12 or only a portion of the length 30 of the sleeve 12. Incertain embodiments, the vibrator 114 may extend into the opening 22from approximately 1 to 100 percent, 1 to 50 percent, 50 to 100 percent,25 to 50 percent, 50 to 75 percent, and all subranges therebetween, ofthe length 30 of the sleeve 12. For example, the vibrator 114 may extendinto the opening 22 approximately 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, or100 percent, or any other percent of the length 30 of the sleeve 12. Themovement of the vibrator 114 (e.g., pencil-type vibrator) eliminates orprevents gas-filled void spaces that may form within the solid feed fromthe solid feed bin to the inlet 14. The vibrator 114 and its supports120 include aerodynamically- or hydrodynamically-smoothed shapes (e.g.,air foil shapes) to promote movement of particulate solids around andpast them. The vibrator 114 is powered by a power source 122 external tothe spool piece 116. The power source 112 may provide electrical orpneumatic power. The electrical or pneumatic power is conducted to thevibrator 114 through a channel 123 in one of the supports 120. Theridges 32 and vibrator 114 both help to mix, breakup, and uniformlydistribute the solids, while also reducing voids. The ability to controlthe drawing of solids into and/or out of the solid feed pump 10 with therotatable sleeve 12 and the vibrator 114 ensures a reliable, steady flowrate of pressurized solids through the pump 10 for efficient pumpoperation, while reducing the complexity and costs of the feed system byeliminating unneeded downstream flow smoothing equipment.

Technical effects of the disclosed embodiments include systems formaintaining a desired pressure level and flow rate of solids into and/orout of a solid feed pump 10. In particular, the solid feed pump 10includes the rotatable sleeve 12 that rotates to actively draw solidfeed into the solid feed inlet 14 and/or out of the solid feed outlet 16of the pump 10. The rotatable sleeve 12 includes ridges 32 to draw thesolid feed into and/or out of the pump 10. The actuating mechanism 44rotates the sleeve 12 as well as controls the rotational speed androtational direction of the sleeve 12. In certain embodiments, the solidfeed pump 10 may include the vibrator spool piece 116 that includes thevibrator 114 coupled to the upstream end 118 of the pump inlet 14, wherethe vibrator 114 extends into the opening 22 of the sleeve 12 toactively conduct solid feed into the solid feed inlet 14. The ability tocontrol the drawing of solid feed into and/or out of the solid feed pump10 via the rotatable sleeves 12 ensures a reliable, steady flow rate ofpressurized solids through the pump 10 for efficient pump operation,while reducing the complexity and costs of the feed system byeliminating unneeded downstream flow smoothing equipment.

This written description uses examples to disclose the invention,including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in theart to practice the invention, including making and using any devices orsystems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope ofthe invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examplesthat occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intendedto be within the scope of the claims if they have structural elementsthat do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if theyinclude equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differencesfrom the literal language of the claims.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A system, comprising: a solid feed pump,comprising: a housing; a rotor disposed in the housing; a curved passagedisposed between the rotor and the housing; a solid feed inlet coupledto the curved passage; a solid feed outlet coupled to the curvedpassage; a rotatable sleeve disposed within the solid feed inlet andconfigured to rotate to actively draw solid feed into the solid feedinlet, wherein the rotatable sleeve comprises a first opening forreceiving solid feed and a second opening for discharging solid feedinto the curved passage; and a vibrator spool piece coupled to anupstream end of the solid feed inlet, wherein the vibrator spool piececomprises a vibrator centrally located within the vibrator spool piece,the vibrator extends into the first opening of the rotatable sleeve in adirection of solid feed flow from the first opening to the secondopening, and the vibrator is configured to actively conduct solid feedinto the solid feed inlet.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein therotatable sleeve comprises an inner surface, wherein the inner surfaceconverges in a direction of solid feed flow from the first opening tothe second opening.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the rotatablesleeve comprises a hollow cylinder, an inner surface, and at least oneridge that extends away from the inner surface into a flow of the solidfeed.
 4. The system of claim 3, wherein the rotatable sleeve comprises aplurality of ridges, wherein at least one ridge varies from anotherridge of the plurality of ridges with respect to length, width, height,or pitch.
 5. The system of claim 3, wherein the rotatable sleevecomprises a plurality of ridges, and each ridge of the plurality ofridges has a same length, width, height, and pitch.
 6. The system ofclaim 3, wherein the at least one ridge spirals along the inner surfaceof the rotatable sleeve.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the rotatablesleeve comprises an outer surface and a portion of the outer surfacecomprises sleeve gear teeth, wherein the solid feed pump comprises anactuating mechanism configured to rotate the rotatable sleeve via thesleeve gear teeth.
 8. The system of claim 7, wherein the actuatingmechanism comprises a drive shaft having worm gear teeth configured toengage the sleeve gear teeth of the rotatable sleeve, and a drive motorcoupled to the drive shaft and configured to rotate the drive shaft. 9.The system of claim 8, wherein the actuating mechanism comprises asensor configured to determine an amount of torque required to rotatethe rotatable sleeve, and a controller configured to adjust a speed ofrotation of the rotatable sleeve based on input from the sensor.
 10. Thesystem of claim 8, wherein the actuating mechanism comprises a sensorconfigured to determine if a jam has occurred in the solid feed inletand wherein the actuating mechanism is configured to temporarily reversea direction of rotation of the rotating sleeve in order to alleviate thejam in the solid feed inlet.
 11. The system of claim 8, wherein theactuating mechanism comprises a sensor configured to detect voids in thesolid feed entering the solid feed pump, and wherein the actuatingmechanism is configured to adjust a speed of rotation of the rotatablesleeve based on input from the sensor.
 12. A system, comprising: arotatable sleeve configured to be disposed in its entirety within asolid feed outlet of a solid feed pump and to rotate to actively drawsolid feed out of the solid feed outlet, wherein the rotatable sleevecomprises a hollow cylinder, an inner surface, and at least one spiralridge that extends away from the inner surface into a flow of the solidfeed.
 13. The system of claim 12, wherein the rotatable sleeve comprisesa plurality of ridges, wherein at least one ridge varies from anotherridge of the plurality of ridges with respect to length, width, height,or pitch.
 14. The system of claim 12, wherein the rotatable sleevecomprises a plurality of ridges, and each ridge of the plurality ofridges has a same length, width, height, and pitch.
 15. The system ofclaim 12, comprising a solid feed pump having the rotatable sleeve. 16.A system, comprising: a rotatable sleeve configured to be disposedwithin a solid feed inlet of a solid feed pump, wherein the rotatablesleeve is configured to rotate to actively draw solid feed into thesolid feed inlet; and a vibrator spool piece configured to be coupled toan upstream end of the solid feed inlet, wherein the vibrator spoolpiece comprises a vibrator centrally located within the vibrator spoolpiece, the vibrator being configured to extend into an opening of therotatable sleeve in a direction of solid feed flow, and the vibrator isconfigured to actively conduct the solid feed into the solid feed inlet,wherein the rotatable sleeve comprises an inner surface, a first openingfor receiving solid feed, and a second opening for discharging solidfeed into a curved passage, wherein the inner surface converges in adirection of solid feed flow from the first opening to the secondopening.
 17. The system of claim 16, wherein the rotatable sleevecomprises a hollow cylinder, an inner surface, and at least one ridgethat extends away from the inner surface into a flow of the solid feed.18. The system of claim 16, wherein the rotatable sleeve comprises anouter surface and a portion of the outer surface comprises sleeve gearteeth, wherein the solid feed pump comprises an actuating mechanismconfigured to rotate the rotatable sleeve via the sleeve gear teeth.